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10 Series

10 Series

a review by Chris Rose of
release format 10 Series by Panoptica (CD Album)

text

Promised as a kind of 'Empire Strikes Back' Central American riposte to the endless export of skinny white European and American boys propagating their techno (minimal or banging, cheesy or trancey) to Mexicans, I was attracted to this record (and the Nortec scene from which it comes) expecting to hear Mariachi trumpets and thundering drums backed up by some innovative beats, Fourth World for the dancefloor. An initial listen is unsettling then, because that's not what you're in for here at all...

While Titan, for example, have married Mexican and Latin sounds to Euro beats and done it well, the dialogue between the cultures going on here is much more complex. While I'm not a musicologist and far from being an expert on Mexican music, a first listen to '10' Series' gives up some pleasant, well-executed European techno. It's only closer listens that reveal a more interesting story going on.

'Variaciones a Tuxedomoon', for example, is based on the American group who relocated to Belgium, became hugely popular in Italy (where a reformed version are currently touring), then split up to go and live in Mexico. Panoptica repay the compliment by warping some Tuxedomoon themes into a very European sounding house track (the only words, a metallic, breathy 'bonjour' whispered throughout) that sounds more like Daft Punk than Mexican folk or Euro electro.

Techno, possibly even more so than hip-hop, is currently a global music, which has subsumed and regurgitated national influences in some weird ways. Rather than hip-hop's insistence on authenticity ('keeping it real!') and place ('from the ghetto'), techno lifts everything into an outernational space, ignoring boundaries and roots, yet haunted by ghosts of its creation.

'Esquirla' could be a Two Lone Swordsmen track, with its sub-aquatic, post-acidic squelches, while 'Pluma' has some kicking percussion illuminated by some understated scratching.

Get into it more and the record gives up its ghosts - the wonderful, joyous 'Kinky Bitsuri' rolls along on a bizarre-time signature of booming percussion and should be huge on free-thinking dancefloors from Tijuana to Tottenham. 'El Chivero de Tepatoche' and 'Esquirla' use metallic drum sounds to build up swaying, offbeat and hypnotic rhythms.

A gorgeous, emotive and intelligent record, beautifully packaged and a joy to listen to. The positive face of globalisation. Posted by Chris Rose at 15:00, 19 Sep 2001